Coranderrk at Illbijerri Theatre. Image: Patrick Boland
Nine in ten Australians believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are an important part of Australian culture. But such strong support doesn’t necessarily translate into audience attendance, with only one quarter of Australians engaging with Indigenous art in the past year.
A new research report commissioned by the Australia Council examines this gap between audience attitudes and behaviour for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts.
Jody Evans, Associate Professor, Melbourne Business School, who worked with Deakin University’s Faculty of Business and Law and Institute of Koorie Education to produce the Building Audiences report told ArtsHub that such disparity is a common issue in the arts.
‘Attitudes don’t always predict behaviour,’ said Evans. ‘Even though people have this very positive attitude towards Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art, it is not necessarily enough to drive their attendance behaviour.’
Researchers acknowledged that there is a ‘socially desirable’ answer to questions regarding the cultural importance of Indigenous art in Australia. But that’s a different question to how committed, engaged and passionate audiences are.
